K-Pop star Jennie (제니) is no stranger to music festivals, having performed at Coachella as both a solo artist and as part of BLACKPINK (블랙핑크). However, her recent music festival performances have sparked mixed reactions, reigniting arguments about her performing skills.
Over the weekend, Jennie performed at two prestigious European music festivals, the Roskilde Festival in Denmark and the Open’er Festival in Poland. Notably, the singer is the first female K-Pop solo artist to headline both events, marking another achievement in her solo music career.
Given her global popularity, it wasn’t surprising that Jennie attracted a large crowd to both festivals. Renowned news outlets and netizens have since reacted to her two performances. Unfortunately, the reviews were mixed, and some of the comments were even brutal, criticising Jennie for her subpar performances.
One example of a negative review came from Gaffa, one of Denmark’s most prominent music news outlets. The magazine published an article on Jennie’s Roskilde Festival performance, titled “Jennie Wasn’t Even Good At Lip-syncing”, criticising her for lip-syncing at her headlining set. The author also rated her performance one star out of six.
@radio.zet @JENNIE i „Dracula” po raz pierwszy w Polsce podczas Open’er Festival 2026!🧛♂️ [współpraca] @Open’er Festival @alterart_official #radiozet #jennie #dracula #opener #openerfestival
Jennie also received similar backlash for her Open’er Festival performance. Clips of her performing her collaboration with Tame Impala, “Dracula”, at the event went viral. However, most of the comments pointed out her weak vocals. Some even criticised the 30-year-old for relying on the backing track to mask her singing.
Of course, some articles and comments praised Jennie and her headlining performances. Most of the comments applauded her for drawing a massive audience, highlighting her immense popularity in Europe. The star also sparked interest after performing some unreleased tracks.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first instance of Jennie getting slammed for her singing and dancing skills. Netizens have long criticised her for being “lazy” on stage, with clips of her stopping mid-performance going viral. Some fans have also lamented that the star’s skill has deteriorated in recent years, noting that she was a better performer in her early debut days.
Despite the backlash and criticism, there’s no doubt that Jennie is still one of K-Pop’s biggest stars. However, some argued that it would do her more good to focus on improving her skills. What are your thoughts on this?
Sources: Billboard, Gaffa, Onet
